How to dress for Church

from an Orthodox parish bulletin

With the arrival of warm (hot) weather it is good for us to have a reminder about wearing modest attire in the church. Below are guidelines that are common in our churches. Please do not take it upon yourself to police these, but please do your best to model them yourself.

Here are some specific guidelines used in our parishes:

Children: No shorts in Church. Shorts are never appropriate as church wear for children or adults. Shoes or sandals should be clean and tied. No one should wear T-shirts with any kind of writing [or advertisements] on them.

Women: Dresses should be modest. No tank tops or dresses with only straps at the shoulders, no short skirts, and no tight dresses. Dresses should have backs and not be cut low in the front. If women wear pants to church, they should be dress pants (not jeans, leggings, etc.).

Men: Men should also dress modestly. While coat and tie are not mandatory, shirts should have collars and be buttoned to the collar (the actual collar button may be left undone, but two or three buttons undone is not modest). Slacks should be cleaned and pressed. Jeans (of any color) are too casual for the Divine Liturgy, especially ones with patches or holes. Again, shorts are not appropriate church wear.

NOTE:
If you are going somewhere after church where you need to dress casually, bring a change of clothing with you and change after coffee hour.